Shattered World
by SavageViper
Summary: Slightly AU set in the events of Fallout 3. Jade used to be a daddy's girl a goody-goody, but as she gets older her interests and behavior change. How will she survive when she has to leave behind the only world she has ever known for 19 Years? Find out.
1. Barriers

Disclaimer!

I do not own Fallout, Fallout 3 or any associated characters or icons, Fallout is the intellectual property of Bethesda.

Chapter One Barriers

Jade sat patiently on the exam table in her father's clinic in Vault 101, waiting to hear the results of her medical exam. Jade was like her father in some ways, she had his deep reddish tan skin tone signifying a Brazilian and African-American heritage. She had his brilliant green eyes, jet black hair and his natural curiosity of the world and thirst for knowledge. But thats where their similarities ended, when she was younger her father tried to teach her everything he knew about medical practice, as she got older her interests changed.

At her tenth birthday she had been given a sweet-roll by an older vault resident, and a boy named Butch had tried to bully her into giving it to him, she did but seeing a chance to get back at him for all the mean pranks he'd pulled on her, and spit on the sweet-roll before placing it on his paper plate "Enjoy, Butch." she said with a smirk.

Now she was 16 and thought differently of Butch. She had developed some kind of interest in him, she couldn't explain it or even understand it. Jade would never admit it to Amata she denied herself that she thought like this at all. She unconsciously began acting like Butch, gained a defiant edge in her attitude and had taken up smoking cigarettes like him, 7 months went by that she was able to hide it from her father but he found out eventually.

He'd told her he didn't like that she was smoking and said that there were potential health risks from smoking. Jade didn't give a shit, she'd found a medical text 2 months after she had taken up smoking that shortly before the Nuclear Wars, medical sciences had discovered an easy painless way that all the tar build-up in a persons lungs that resulted from years of smoking could be broken down and their lungs cleansed by a new chem called Rad-Away. This was a great find for Jade, she had known that Rad-Away was primarily used to treat radiation sickness but she learned it had other uses too. So once a month Jade would load an inhaler with a mist-form of Rad-Away and treat herself like the text had said to do.

Thinking back to her childhood she realized that it had been after her tenth birthday when she'd stood her ground against Butch in defiance, that he'd slowly turned his attention to Jade's friend Amata and over the years Jade had wondered why he'd done this. Her father suddenly spoke in his calm voice, snapping her back to the present. "As far as I can tell you're a perfectly healthy 16 year old girl so yes you will have to take your G.O.A.T. Test today." Jade sighed lightly knowing it was useless to argue and started for the door.

Butch Deloria was a fairly tall young man and muscular. He was known in the vault for his good looks, cocky attitude, greaser inspired pompador hairstyle and a talent for smooth talking his way out of tight situations. He wore a pair of dark sunglasses and a black leather jacket emblazoned with an acid green snake curled into an 'S'.

He swaggered down the vault corridors with his Tunnel Snakes, Paul Hannon and Wally Mack. Butch spotted over in a corner at the end of the corridor, a dark skinned teenage girl with long black hair that was drapped down her back reaching halfway to her waist. Butch thought Jade had a nice figure she'd grown into an athletic trim and was well endowed. At the moment however it wasnt her body that took Butch's attention as he did a double take, he saw that she was smoking a cigarette. The pose she was in, perfectly replicated the Tunnel Snake Swagger. Arms held loosely at her sides, one leg straight the other crossed over it. Leaning casually against the lockers and just a touch of smugness in her facial expression.

 _"Since when did little miss goody two shoes smoke?"_ Butch shook his head slightly at the thought. Then seeing Amata walk out of the girls bathroom and step into the corridor he gave his Tunnel Snakes a discreet gesture indicating Amata, and they swaggered up to her. Jade stood in her corner and watched as Butch, Paul, and Wally began antagonizing Amata, Jade's expression hardened as she stubbed her cigarette out against a locker door next to her and made her way over to them.

Walking cooly up to Butch she stared levelly into his pale blue eyes. "Whats going on here?" Butch smirked at her "Beat it lunch money, me and the boys are just makin' conversation with miss prissy over here." "As I was sayin', its not safe for a liddle mouse to be wanderin' the hallways alone, now is it boys?" Paul grinned and Wally snickered. Jade was suprised, instead of being irritated at Butch like she expected, she felt herself jealous of Amata for some reason, though she couldn't fathom why.

Blowing it off, she locked eyes with Butch and stated in a no-nonsense tone. "Leave her alone Butch, she doesn't want your attention." Butch grinned wider, rolling his eyes "And what're you supposed to be, her girlfriend?" Paul and Wally cracked up laughing, Jade saw she was getting nowhere losing her patience, she spat, "Dammit Butch you and me right here, right now!"

Butch grinned "Come on boys this twerp needs another lesson" That was the furthest Butch got, as Jade fired off with a hard right hook that rattled the greaser's jaw. Wally Mack came in with a massive left hook, Jade ducked under the haymaker and viciously headbutted him in the stomach, Butch recovered and swung a wicked right cross that cracked hard against Jade's ribs, she shook it off, ignoring Amata's shouted pleas for them to stop. Paul swung a right cross of his own but Jade caught his arm mid swing and twisted to the side avoiding Butch's second punch and painfully wrenching Paul's arm in the process and then with her free arm jabbed her elbow into the joint of Paul's trapped arm, hauled him towards her and jabbed a knee into his stomach.

Wally recovered from the headbutt looking unsure of himself, Butch realized that somehow they were outmatched. Doing the only thing he could he flung his arms up in a gesture of surrender saying, "Ok, ok you win this time, but we'll get you back for this, one way or another. Come on Tunnel Snakes we're outta here."

Jade walked over to her friend, and asked if she was alright, Amata nodded, and in an exasperated tone, "I don't know why those assholes always target me, just because I am the Overseer's daughter I suppose." Jade shrugged before replying, "Come on we better follow them into the classroom, as we all have to take our G.O.A.T. Test today." Amata grinned at Jade, "I take it, your attempt to convince your dad that you were too sick to take the test didn't work then?" Jade ruefully shook her head.

As they entered the classroom, Mr. Brotch, an African-American man in his late thirties spoke to them, "I am glad you both made it here, the G.O.A.T. or Generalized Occupational Apptitude Test, is of utmost importance to your futures. We will begin when everyone is seated." Amata sat at the front of the column of desks along the rooms right wall and Jade slid into the desk behind her, and for some reason Butch slid into the desk behind her, while Susie Mack sat behind him.

Wally Mack and Paul Hannon took seats at the desks opposite of Butch and Freddy Gomez sat behind them. Mr. Brotch droned on, "The exam will last for one hour, then you will need to turn it in at my desk so I can give you your results. The test is multiple choice and there are no wrong answers; keep your eyes on your own work." Butch let out a sound between a laugh and a snort, and Mr. Brotch stated, "I'm talking to you Mr. Deloria."

An hour later the test concluded, Amata was the first to walk up to Mr. Brotch at his desk, he spent a few minutes going over it before exclaiming, "Well this is unexpected, according to your results, Amata you are the next in line to be Vault Overseer. I do believe you have it in you to be a natural leader." Jade turned in her test next, eagerly awaiting to hear her results. Mr. Brotch looked up from the test after a few minutes, "Well this is quite interesting your results say you are to be the Vault's new tattoo artist." Jade shouted in triumph, "Yes! All my life this is exactly what I've always wanted to do!"

Mr. Brotch smiled lightly "I appreciate the youthful enthusiasm being shown for once. I am glad to see the G.O.A.T. still gets some of them right." Jade smiled and as she made her way out of the classroom she heard an irate Butch shouting over the results of his exam, "I am no hairdresser, I'm a barber!" He proclaimed angrily before storming out of the classroom.

As Jade made her way to her father's clinic to relay the good news, she found herself thinking, she had known about Butch's secret desire to become a barber. There had been a few times in their early teen years that they had been friendly towards each other, but only when no-one else was around, but at the time she had thought he'd been joking with her about it. Butch was an enigma to her, and it only served to deepen her unexplainable fascination of him.

(Note)

I have a plan on how this story will go, however for the time being it will be on an indefinite Hiatus as I am currently working on another fanfic right now. I will eventually progress this story and it is intended to be an M-Rated Fanfic.


	2. Reflections

Disclaimer!

I do not own Fallout, Fallout 3 or any associated characters or icons. Fallout is the intellectual property of Bethesda.

(THREE YEARS LATER)

Chapter 2 Reflections

Butch and Paul were hanging out in the Tunnel Snakes favorite haunt, the reactor room. There was a storage hall just off the reactor level that they'd relaxed in for years, prior to their BB-Guns being confiscated as illegal contraband by the overseer they'd practice their marksmanship smoke and make jokes. Butch leaned back against the wall reached into his belt-satchel retrieved a cigarette from his pack and a lighter. Little did they know this same storage hall was once used by Jade to practice her marksmanship when her father gave her a BB-Gun of her own at her tenth birthday. There was still the old beat up targets on spinning arms set up at the back of the hall and a few storage crates one of which contained a cooler that the Tunnel Snakes hid their stash of beer in.

Lighting up the cigarette he took a long drag off it and exhaled, "Ya know Paul, I've been thinking. This whole Tunnel Snake plan of ours seemed a lot more I dunno, fun when we were kids. I mean it's not like we've really accomplished what we'd set out to do." Paul took a drag off his own cigarette before replying "What did we set out to do anyway?" Butch sighed, "Thats my point, we hardly remember what this was supposed to be about, saying fuck you to the system that runs our lives, instead of rebelling against authority and carving our own rules we been carrying out some crack-pot favors for the overseer in exchange to him turnin' a blind eye to our criminal activities, petty thievery, intimidation, acting like douche-bags in general and where's it all gotten us?"

Paul thought a minute then screwed up his face in disgust "We look like the Overseer's bitch's don't we." Butch grinned ironically, "yeah we do. Lets change that, lets really start raising some hell in here." Paul grinned reaching into the crate beside him he retrieved a couple beers and passed one to Butch who immediately cracked it open and downed half of it in one swig.

Butch gave a loud burp, and sighed contentedly following his train of thought "Theres something else I been thinkin' about." Paul grunted non-committally, as Butch continued, "I can't really understand it, but I... I think... I think I like Jade." Butch finally blurted out. Paul choked on a swig of beer sending much of it spraying comically out of his nose. After he finally stopped sputtering Paul looked at Butch saying, "You serious?" Butch couldnt find his voice and slowly nodded.

After several minutes hard thought, Paul spoke up, "How are you going to approach her about it?" butch stubbed out his cigarette against a metal crate, "I dunno man, I don't think she likes me much, I've treated her so shitty nearly our whole lives." Butch suddenly clapped a palm to his to forehead rather violantly and groaned "Fuck me, she probably thinks I am interested in Amata. That bitch cant stand me though." Paul snickered "Aint gonna be easy for Jade to forgive you for being a douchebag to her best friend. Butch snorted "For all you know, I thought I was imagining shit, but I tell ya everytime I start being an ass to Amata, Jade seems to glare at her, when Ms Prissy aint looking.

Butch made to leave the storage room, then stopped and said "Paul, do me a favor, and don't tell Wally about any of this." Paul nodded his understanding. Butch continued on his way back to the salon, he had a customer scheduled for 4 pm today and it was going on 3 o'clock he needed to ready his styling kit. Paul stayed in the hangout and drank another beer, he wasn't needed back in the vault kitchen until 4:30 when he'd help the other 3 vault chefs prepare the evening meal.

Butch arrived at the Salon and as he readied himself for his client, he reflected on the conversation with Paul. He was glad he'd decided to stop fighting girls 3 years ago. Jade soon acted slightly friendlier to him after this. Four Pm came and his client arrived right on time and Butch nearly dropped his styling brush when Jade walked into the Salon, he'd completely forgotten that she'd made an appointment for 4 today.

Jade took a seat in the barbers chair and waited for Butch to begin. Butch fought down his nerves and composed himself, then he looked at the dark skinned beauty determined to start a friendly conversation with her as he worked on her hair. With as much politeness as he could muster, "Hey Jade, its good seein' you again." Jade didnt reply but smiled warmly at his reflection in the mirror in the styling station.

Butch smiled back as he cut her hair to her desired length a few inches beneath her shoulders. "Butch." Jade began, you alright? you seem troubled." Butch hesitated a second before replying, "Oh yeah I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind." Jade caught the hesitation in his reply but decided not to press him about it. Jade then spoke up on a sudden decision, "Wanna join me for dinner?" Butch again hesitated before replying, though this time there was no mistaking the confidence in his voice. "Sure I'd love to."

Butch finished cutting coloring and styling Jade's hair and she placed an unopened beer can (she'd had clipped onto her belt with a powerful magnet) on his table before she left. The people in the vault had no currency and didnt really need it, but Jade still liked to pay him for his work. Butch picked it up and realized it was ice cold and saw it was his favorite brand, Atomwieser. Butch smiled as he cracked it open and took a long swig, then rolled up the sleeve of his Vault-101 Jumpsuit, and stared at the tattoo of a green snake wrapping itself around a wildrose that had three thorns on its stem. He'd had Jade tattoo his shoulder with this design last Summer she was surprised he'd asked her to do it, but she hadn't asked him why he wanted it.

Thinking about the Tattoo and of Jade, he wondered what their relationship was, around others he was his same old cocky bad boy self. When he was only with Jade, as rare an occurrence as it was, he changed. Somehow she could render him speechless with only a smile, and she was more than beautiful as Butch thought about it, Jade was drop dead gorgeous. Butch shook his head in disbelief as realization dawned on him. He'd began to fall in love with a girl he'd spent half his life tormenting.

How could he tell her how he felt? How would she react if he did tell her?Butch began struggling against himself mentally _"What are you doin' fallin' for her man? She probably hates you like Amata for bein' an ass. Nah that cant be, when you are with her and nobody else is around its like your best friends. But what if its just an act just to be polite? Come on man she's not a piece of shit like that. Ok but how do I tell her how I feel, that I, think... no its gotta be love dammit what else explains why you can't form a simple sentence when she bats her eyelashes and smiles at ya? Get a grip on yaself Butch ya gotta lay all the cards on the table, go for it and be a man tell her like it is no bullshittin'."_ Butch made up his mind, when he joined her for dinner tonight he'd mentally practice asking her out. Then in a couple of days he'd seek her out for a private hangout in the reactor chamber they could smoke and drink a few beers together to lighten and then he'd ask her out for real.

Jade sat alone in her tattoo parlor just having finished inking her latest client at 5:30 Mrs. Deloria had scheduled an appointment to have the tattoo of her son's name on her wrist touched up, as it had been almost 18 years since she had gotten it from the previous vault tattooist. Mrs. Deloria had always been kind to Jade, during her touch-up session she had told Jade of how she knew of the friendship between Jade and Butch, and thought it was good for him.

Jade reflected upon their conversation and found herself trying to make sense of her feelings regarding Butch. She was relaxed in his presence when it just the two of them somehow he could make her feel like she was walking on air when he laughed at something funny she'd said. More than that she realized she would get angry when Butch teased and antagonised Amata, angry though she'd be it was startling when she was angry at Amata for some reason and not at Butch. As Jade lit a cigarette she slapped her forehead with her hand, hard. _"Damn I've been so stupid, me acting like him, getting angry at Amata when he antagonised her that was anger it was jealousy. This must mean, oh god... I've fallen in love with Butch._


End file.
